Science

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Life possible on extrasolar moons

In their search for habitable worlds, astronomers have started to consider exomoons, or those likely orbiting planets outside the solar system. In a new study, a pair of researchers has found that exomoons are just as likely to support life as exoplanets.

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Artist’s conception of two extrasolar moons orbiting a giant gaseous planet.

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Herschel intercepts asteroid Apophis

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Herschel’s three-colour view of asteroid Apophis

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News from the world of quantum physics: A non-causal quantum eraser

Whether a quantum object behaves like a wave or like a particle depends (according to the Copenhagen interpretation) on the choice of measurement apparatus used for observing the system, and therefore on the type of measurement performed.

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This is a long time exposure photography viewing from Tenerife to La Palma. A green laser beam indicates the free-space link between the two laboratories.

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Particles of crystalline quartz wear away teeth: Study questions informative value of dental microwear for dietary habits of extinct species

Dental microwear, the pattern of tiny marks on worn tooth surfaces, is an important basis for understanding the diets of fossil mammals, including those of our own lineage.

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Surface of a tooth, with two large scratches (dark blue lines) that have been caused by quartz particles.

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NASA, ESA Telescopes Find Evidence For Asteroid Belt Around Vega

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NASA Telescopes See Weather Patterns in Brown Dwarf

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Cluster Mission Indicates Turbulent Eddies May Warm the Solar Wind

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A 2-dimensional vision of the solar wind turbulence at the smallest scale seen yet, thanks to observations by Cluster satellites. The approximate location of the measurements is indicated on a graphic illustrating features of Earth’s magnetic environment. The inset shows conditions as would be seen facing the solar wind, with current sheets forming at the border of turbulent eddies. The trajectory of the Cluster spacecraft is marked on the inset by the black line and the color gradients represent the magnetic field strength intensity.

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Hubble Reveals Rogue Planetary Orbit for Fomalhaut b

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Counting the twists in a helical light beam: New device could contribute to a major increase in the rate of future optical communications

At a time when communication networks are scrambling for ways to transmit more data over limited bandwidth, a type of twisted light wave is gaining new attention. Called an optical vortex or vortex beam, this complex beam resembles a corkscrew, with waves that rotate as they travel.

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This illustration (not to scale) simulates the process by which an incoming complex wave can be identified and transmitted to a photodetector.

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DNA prefers to dive head first into nanopores

In the 1960s, Nobel laureate Pierre-Gilles de Gennes postulated that someday researchers could test his theories of polymer networks by observing single molecules. Researchers at Brown observed single molecules of DNA being drawn through nanopores by electrical current and figured out why they most often travel head first.

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A preference for diving head first When a DNA strand is captured and pulled through a nanopore, it’s much more likely to start the journey at one of its ends (top left) rather than being grabbed somewhere in the middle and pulled through in a folded configuration.